Talk:The Lying Queen/@comment-30564209-20171001010150/@comment-30564209-20171001013231
Okay, time for the real review, otherwise I just know the two of you are gonna resent me forever and Jo will probably go ballistic. Look, you already know it to be true, so maybe next time show a little more security over your work. This was a stellar episode, without a doubt one of the best-written exposition episodes of any FF we've all done. You managed to carry out a mystery regarding a complex and interesting character for a total of 22 episodes (which would be normal in a television show, I suppose) branched over two seasons, and you made the resolution intriguing and juicy. I have to admit I didn't care for EVERY twist and turn along the way, so I will break the episode down into acts for the first time. No best/worst butler obviously, but Jo gets an honorary award for being one of the best characters in the series and the only one who has, thus far, carried an entire episode, which, as Ben put it, is a true testament to her and to how you write for her. Act 1: I loved this act and actually wanna put it down as my favorite act of the entire episode. I don't want you to be disappointed in this, taking it to mean that the episode only gets worse as it goes along, which is definitely not the case, but the first act is quite gripping right from the get-go. I actually read all through it in one sitting, which is abnormal for me, and wasn't repeated in the other acts. I hadn't ever realized religion played such an important role in Joanna's life, and I always respond to religious nuts in stories. I was of course a bit taken back by the holy water supposedly burning Emilie's arm, and really just wanted that to be handled, even wondering if that was perhaps one of the polarizing aspects of the episode. I adored the revelation that it was Emilie who was responsible for that first church explosion, so cute how that ties into Joe's story in a rather seamless way. Very well done indeed. As for the remainder of the act (I am only now realizing how long it actually was), my favorite part actually was Emilie doing it AGAIN with the church counselors (yes cute names ofc). It just felt very satisfying for whatever reason, and it's curious how you can manage to have a character do these horrendous things and yet she's the one we're rooting for. Then again, we're all a little insane in the membrane. Act 2: Now here's where you (temporarily) lost me. I'm sorry, but I just didn't respond well to Nadia. I didn't know where it all was going (for a few minutes I figured they'd have a romance), and when it was made clear she was part of some terrorist organization that blows up churches, that's when I worried things might start to get a bit too preachy, simply because I know you guys are atheists yourselves and worried you might be using Nadia as some sort of vessel, but you handled it better than I thought you would, and I actually appreciated the subtlety in how you addressed Nadia's past and what she did to the priest. You guys CAN be a bit on the nose sometimes, I love occasional moments of subtlety, especially in writing. Not everything has to be laid bare for us. Another thing that worried me during this act was just how far off the deep end Emilie had gotten, in the sense that it started to seem as though her actions were getting more and more unredeemable. This episode's main objective was to redeem the character and get everyone (both characters and readers) to understand her, and blowing up churches just seemed like too much, like something that wasn't conditioned by circumstances. I'm glad Emilie came to her senses once she realized her allies were perfectly fine with taking innocent lives. Act 3: Ok, so. Back to Nadia, before we get to other things. Knowing she's the one going around, blowing up churches, sort of makes it ok. Upon further reconsideration, she is clearly someone you have set up from the very start, and I suppose she could become a powerful villain, and actually someone fit to be the show's last Big Bad. I wonder if she's the 16th mainie though; I forgot who RandomRambler was. Don't even recall if they have a Wiksteria Lane character, though the name does ring a certain bell. I suppose I am curious as to what happens to Joanna's body; wouldn't have given it much thought if, again, it hadn't been added to the unanswered questions - it being there actually piques my interest. I'm sorry I responded so coldly to Nadia, I'll keep an open mind when it comes to her. I guess it's because I didn't respond well to act 2, and I'm also a bit on the fence about Val, whom Nadia reminds me off (ethnic, villainous character). As for the rest of the act, which actually comes pretty close to act 1 in greatness, I'm very satisfied with everything that happened, with how it all came full cyrcle, and I think you did good by revisiting all those moments/easter eggs of Joanna through the two seasons. I enjoy that the real Joanna was the villain all along. Obviously it's not surprising that Emilie killed her and took her place - I mean, I just sorta took that for granted all along, I found shocks in other things, like the holy water having been replaced by acid (YAS!) and Jo having had her parents killed without a fuck given. All in all, the episode was great, BUT, I am still not sold on ONE thing: IS Joanna redeemable? I mean... Everything she did can only be justified to a certain point. Seeing how everyone was almost too quick to understand and forgive her feels rushed, especially Joe. I honestly wanted him to leave when it looked like he would. It would have added to the dramatic tension. I think the episode should have ended differently. Heck, maybe with none of them saying a word. Leave their thoughts on the matter for the next episode. Idk. It just seems too easy. Obviously I don't want Joanna to go to jail or get killed over what's happened, she's a core character, but yeah, I don't think that I, personally, would be THAT understanding if I traded places with any of the butlers. Like, the gruesome murder of Matthew and the framings especially are so recent - it just seems like Joanna is a walking trigger, really, that could go off at any moment and take someone else's life because of "circumstances". Can she really be trusted? Doesn't she still pretty much represent a danger? All that violence and mayhem is now ingrained in her, nevermind how it got there. Btw I forgot to point out, in my review to 2.09, that I ADORED Yas Belich's cameo. So, yeah, that. Looking forward to the last two episodes. :)